Percy Jackson and the Battle of the Labyrinth
by SaSaBookworm
Summary: It's Percy Jackson and the Battle of the Labyrinth but it's in Annabeths POV. The story line is all the same but you now hear Annabeth's thoughts instead of Percy's as they journey into the Labyrinth and battle monsters together. Rated T for saftey
1. I meet Rachel

**A/N: I've started writing Percy Jackson and the Battle of the Labyrinth in Annabeth's point of view (I would have written the Last Olympian but it hasn't come out here yet). I hope you like it. Please no flames.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

Percy Jackson and the Battle of the Labyrinth

Chapter 1- I meet _Rachel_

All I wanted was a fun afternoon with my friend, but of course Percy had blown up a school and was on the run _again_. I was meant to meet him in the afternoon but when I was on my way to the library (I was 2 hours early) he ran straight into me.

'Hey, you're out early!' I laughed. Percy was never early. 'Watch were your going Seaweed Brain' I told him as I grabbed his shoulders to stop him falling out onto the road.

He looked quite hilarious. His clothes were covered in flour and he was scratched in several places.

I then noticed a strange looking girl running towards us.

'Percy, wait up!' she yelled. I stopped smiling. Who was she! Percy doesn't have any other best friends who are girls, so what was she doing chasing after him?

She looked even funnier than Percy. She was wearing a maroon t-shirt and hideous jeans that looked like they had marker drawings all over them, and her hair was red and frizzy. But what was worse was she too was covered in flour... like when monsters disintegrated.

At that time realised that there were sirens going off somewhere and that smoke was coming out of a building not too far away.

'What did you do this time? And who is this?' I said frowning at Percy.

'Oh, Rachel – Annabeth. Annabeth – Rachel. Um she's a friend I guess.' Said Percy.

What did he mean by that?

'Hi,' Rachel said to me before turning to Percy. 'You are in _so_ much trouble. And you still owe me an explanation!'

The sirens wailed louder. They sounded just around the corner.

'Percy we should go' I said coldly. I was mad at him now; he went and blew up something with this stupid mortal girl.

'I want to know more about half-bloods,' Rachel bugged him. _Half-bloods! _She isn't meant to know about us and Percy told her! 'And monsters. And this stuff about the gods.' She reached out and took his arm.

I felt like punching her! Who does she think she is, and what was Percy thinking, telling a mortal about us.

Rachel pulled a permanent marker out and wrote a number Percy's arm. 'You're going to call me and explain, okay? You owe me that. Now get going.'

'But-'

'I'll make up some story,' she said to Percy. 'I'll tell them it wasn't your fault. Just go!' she insisted, as she ran back towards to sirens and smoke, leaving Percy and me in the street.

I looked at the place she had been for a moment and then turned and left.

'Hey!' Yelled Percy, whilst jogging to catch up to me. 'There were these two _empousai_, they were cheerleaders, see, and they said camp was going to burn, and –'

'You told a mortal girl about half-bloods?' I interrupted. I didn't care what his excuse was.

'She can see through the Mist. She saw the monsters before I did.'

'So you told her the truth,' why would he tell some stranger everything!

'She recognised me from Hoover Dam, so –'

'You've met her _before?_' this just keeps getting better and better!

'Um, last winter. But, seriously, I barely know her.'

'She's kind of cute,' as if! I just want to know how Percy really feels about her.

'I – I never thought about it.'

Sure he didn't, I know he is lying. I headed towards York Avenue to catch a taxi to camp.

'I'll deal with the school,' Percy promised. 'Honest, it'll be fine.'

He expected me to forgive him for telling a mortal about half-bloods after just an apology! And there was clearly something going on between him and that girl, why else would she have given him her number. It's not like I'm jealous or anything! But seriously, who just tells a stranger their giant secret that could cause many people to be killed if kronos heard about it.

'I guess our afternoon is off. We should get you out of here, now that the police will be searching for you,' I said.

'You're right,' he said sadly. 'We have to get to camp half-blood. _Now_.'

**A/N: Sorry the first chapter is so short, most of it is in Percy's POV in the book so I had to cut that part out. So what do you guys think? Should I continue the story? I'll give this chapter a week or two for you to review then if you say yes then I will try very hard to update every week or sooner. Please review!**


	2. Grover's Problem

**A/N: Sorry it took so long to update, it's a long chapter. Please review!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson.**

Chapter 2- Grover's Problem

The whole taxi ride Percy kept trying to talk to me, but I wasn't interested. He betrayed everyone by telling that mortal girl our secret. All I told him were some minor things about my summer, but I wasn't keen to have a real conversation after how he had acted.

'Any word on Luke?' Percy asked.

I shook my head. Luke was a former councillor for Hermes cabin who was being deluded by Kronos into serving him. He had a fifteen-meter fall last winter and had survived, which everyone was very upset about. But I knew Luke before he joined Kronos, and he was really nice and would never hurt anyone good. Percy seems to think I have a thing for Luke which I clearly don't! He is just a good-looking guy who I happen to like (in a friend way!).

'Mt Tam is still overrun with monsters,' I said. Mt Tam is where Percy rescued me from Atlas, and where Thalia nearly killed Luke. 'I didn't dare go close, but I don't think Luke is up there. I think I would know if he was.' I know that sounds weird but I would be able to tell if he was there.

'What about Grover?' Percy asked. Grover is Percy's best friend who has been trying to search for the wild god Pan, but was called back for a trial about whether or not he did hear Pan and is destined to find him.

'He's at camp,' I said. 'We'll see him today.'

'Did he have any luck? I mean, with the search for Pan?'

I was worried about Grover; I didn't want him to be exiled when he was telling the truth.

'You'll see,' I told Percy. I didn't see any reason to tell him about the trial.

I lent Percy my emergency phone to call his mum and explain. We don't usually use mobiles but I figured his mum would be pretty upset about what happened, and she should probably no he was okay.

We sat in silence for the rest of the trip and I thought about that mortal girl. How dare Percy tell her everything about half bloods! I mean it didn't seem like they were in a relationship, but Percy can be good at covering things up sometimes. Also, why did he believe her when she told him about the monsters; she could have been one herself.

After a long drive the taxi finally pulled over and let us out at the bottom of Half-Blood Hill.

'There ain't nothing here, miss. You sure you want out?' the he asked me, frowning.

'Yes, please,' I said, as I gave him a roll of mortal money. He stopped complaining and drove away.

When we reached the top of Half-Blood Hill, we saw Peleus, the new guardian dragon of the pine tree. He was curled around the tree and lifted his head when we approached. I scratched under his chin and watched as steam hissed out of his nostrils.

'Hey, Peleus,' I said. 'Keeping everything safe?'

He grew fast. It hadn't been long since I'd seen him last, but he was still a few feet longer. On the lowest branch of the pine tree, just above his head, the Golden Fleece sparkled. It was the reason the camp's magical borders remained. Below us the camp looked calm; everything was quiet and serene. But there was still tension in the air, like it's just waiting for something bad to happen.

As we walked down into the valley, camp was back to its regular patterns. The satyrs were making plants grow with their enchanting pipes. Pegasi were flying gracefully over the woods, with campers riding them for horseback lessons. The forges were smoking, and hammering could be heard clearly as weapons were made. A ruthless chariot race was going on, and at the lake some campers were fighting a giant orange sea serpent. Yes, everything was back to normal, but there was still a lot of work to do.

'I need to talk to Clarisse,' I said to Percy. He looked at me like I'd gone mad. Well I guess he didn't know that we were working together yet, and she was the last person I'd normally want to talk to. But times have changed.

'What for?' He asked, confused.

'We've been working on something,' I said. 'I'll see you later.' Percy didn't have to know about the Labyrinth yet, he would just get worked up about it and want to help, which he can't.

'Working on what?' he pestered.

I glanced towards the where the hearing would be, in the forest. Chiron and Clarisse would be in there with Grover before it starts, which was soon.

'I'll tell Chiron you're here. He'll want to talk to you before the hearing.' I said.

'What hearing?' I heard Percy ask. But I was already jogging away.

When I reached the forest I found Chiron. He was talking to a tree nymph.

'Hey, Chiron,' I yelled, to get his attention.

'Annabeth, my dear. I didn't think you would be here until later today,' he said.

'Well, Percy destroyed another school,' I said. 'So we thought it would be best to leave before he got arrested.'

'Oh, what monster was it this time?'

'A pair of _empousai _attacked him, and he got away thanks to some _mortal _girl.' I twisted the word mortal.

'Dear me,' He said. 'It can't be good that she-demons are stirring. I'm amazed Percy survived though. I must go and find him. We shall meet you at the hearing; Juniper, Clarisse and Grover are already there.'

'Okay, I'll see you later.'

I jogged off towards the Satyr's glade,through the tunnel of magnificent old willow trees, the enchanting miniature waterfall, and into the glade encased in vibrantly coloured wildflowers. I found that some satyrs and nymphs were already getting ready for the hearing, so I went over to Juniper, Clarisse and Grover.

'Hey, Grover,' I said. 'Don't worry about the hearing, you'll be fine. They can't possibly ignore the truth.'

Juniper was crying so I tried to comfort her. 'He'll be okay, I'm sure of it.' She blew her nose into her handkerchief.

Juniper was Grover's girlfriend. They hadn't been together very long, but they really cared about each other. She was a tree nymph, see, so they both cared a lot about nature, and Grover's search for Pan. Juniper was a small and pretty girl. Her hair was short and weightless, and a yellowish-brown colour that swayed around her pixie face. As usual, she was wearing her faded green chiton and delicately laced sandals.

'Grover,' Clarisse started. She was going to try and convince him to go into the Labyrinth again, I could tell. 'If the council don't believe you, then you will lose your searchers licence. That means no more searching for Pan. But if you can convince them to give you a little more time, just a month a best, then you will be able to go into the Labyrinth. And Annabeth and I are sure it will lead you to Pan.'

I noticed the mentioning of my name, she wanted me to help her convince him. 'She's right Grover,' I said. 'The Labyrinth is your last chance. It's the most likely place Pan will be- underground, where no Satyr has ever searched.'

Juniper blew her nose again. 'No, I won't let you Grover!' She wailed. 'It's too dangerous!'

'I don't know... I'll think about it' Grover mumbled. I could tell he wasn't much keener than Juniper about the idea, but he's desperate to find Pan before the council takes away his searchers licence, so there is a small chance he will agree.

The Council of Cloven Elders entered the Glade, so we decided to move to the side where we would stand.

The Council was made up of three very old Satyrs: Silenus, Leneus and Maron. They were stout looking with lethargic appearances and blank eyes. Not very threatening at first glance, but they had a very aggressive attitude. And they didn't like Grover because he hasn't found Pan yet when he declared he had heard him.

Satyrs and nymphs stood in a circle around the Council and they began. Grover was introduced and went into the middle where he started to tell his story.

About halfway through Percy and Chiron arrived. Chiron stood next to the Council, (he was an honorary member) and Percy stood near us.

I comforted Juniper some more, she was dabbing her eyes with her handkerchief. I put my arm around her shoulder to try and calm her down. It wasn't going to help Grover if she thought he had no hope.

'It's going terribly,' she sobbed.

'No, no,' I said, patting her shoulder. 'He'll be fine Juniper.'

I realised Percy hadn't met Juniper before and would be wondering why she was so upset. I looked up at him and mouthed the words _Grover's girlfriend. _He looked confused – maybe he couldn't see that she was a tree nymph, because Grover would never go out with a human.

'Master Underwood!' Silenus yelled, cutting Grover off before he could start to say something. 'Do you seriously expect us to believe this?'

'B-but, Silenus,' Grover spluttered. 'It's the truth!'

The Council muttered something.

'Master Underwood,' Silenus said. 'For six months – _six months_ – we have been hearing these scandalous claims that you heard the wild god Pan speak.'

'But I did!'

'Impudence!' said Maron.

'Now, Maron,' Chiron said. 'Patience.'

'Patience, indeed!' Maron yelled. 'I've had it up to my horns with this nonsense. As if the wild god would speak to... to _him_.'

I grabbed hold of Juniper before she could attack the satyr. Clarisse held onto her as well and muttered 'Wrong fight, girly. Wait.'

'For six months,' Silenus persistent. 'We have indulged you, Master Underwood. We have let you travel. We have allowed you to keep your searchers licence. We have waited for you to bring proof for your preposterous claim. And what have you found in six months travel?'

'I just need more time,' Grover moaned. He only needed a month. Then we could go into the Labyrinth and find Pan. How hard can it be!

'Nothing!' Leneus shouted. 'You have found nothing.'

'But, Leneus – '

Silenus raised his hand, interrupting Grover again. Chiron said something to the satyrs and they looked annoyed. He would get Grover some more time, I was sure of it. The Council argued but Chiron said something else, and Silenus sighed, nodding grudgingly.

'Master Underwood,' Silenus proclaimed. 'We will give you one more chance.'

I was overjoyed! He could find Pan, now that Grover could keep his searchers licence for a little longer.

Grover was ecstatic as well. 'Thank you!' He said.

'One more week.'

My face fell. A week! That's not possible! The Labyrinth is huge; we can't just walk all the way across America and back in a week. Not to mention that time in the Labyrinth is faster than normal; he can't make it unless we find Ariadne's string. And quickly.

'What? But sir! That's impossible!' Grover cried.

'One more week Master Underwood,' Silenus pronounced. 'And then, if you cannot prove your claims, it will be time for you to pursue another career. Something to suit your dramatic talents. Puppet theatre, perhaps. Or tap dancing.'

'But, sir, I – I can't lose my searchers licence. My whole life – '

'This meeting of the council is adjourned,' Silenus concluded. 'And now let us enjoy our noonday meal!'

He clapped his hands and nymphs came out of the surrounding trees with plates of food for the Council. The circle broke as all the satyrs ran forward to get to the food.

Grover wandered miserably towards us, I felt so sorry for him. But there was still hope, if we can just get him to go into the Labyrinth.

'Hi, Percy,' he said sadly, as he reached us. 'That went well, huh?'

'Those old goats!' Juniper said. 'Oh, Grover, they don't know how hard you've tried!'

'There is another option.' Clarisse reminded Grover.

'No. No.' Juniper said, shaking her head vigorously. 'Grover I won't let you.'

His face was white as a sheet. 'I – I'll have to think about it. But we don't even know where to look.'

'What are you talking about,' Percy asked. I forgot he didn't know.

The conch horn sounded for inspection.

I pursed my lips, there was a lot to explain, and now wasn't the time. 'I'll fill you in later, Percy. We'd better get back to our cabins. Inspection is starting.'

Percy raced off ahead; he was the only one in his cabin so no one could start cleaning without him. But Clarisse and I had many other cabin mates so we could walk.

'I hope Grover sees sense'' I said. 'I'm certain that the Labyrinth is where he needs to look, we just have to find an entrance to it that's close.'

'You're right,' she said. Wow, Clarisse and I are actually agreeing on something. 'We have to convince him.'

We arrived at our cabins and parted. I made my bed, tidied my desk, and fixed up the bookshelf nearest which I used last when researching the Labyrinth.

I was so worried about Grover, his searchers licence was his whole life, everything he had ever worked for, and now it was about to be taken away from him. I really hoped we found an entrance to the Labyrinth and worked out how to navigate it to find Pan. I also didn't want Kronos' army getting anywhere near camp, and I was sure Luke was looking for a way to navigate the Labyrinth as well, it could be terrible if he knew a secret entrance to the Labyrinth that we hadn't found.

That afternoon I continued to read through ancient scrolls to find anything at all about the Labyrinth. None of it matched up though. The maps were all different, the legends are all unlike, and no records from people who survived the Labyrinth say anything that can help! I was very frustrated, so I decided to go out and see Percy. He would cheer me up, he often did – not that I like him or anything! He is just a good friend!

I had a fun afternoon; Tyson was back at camp, which was really nice. But I was very anxious; Grover's problem still wasn't fixed. I kept looking towards the forest to see if he was there, I hoped he wasn't too depressed. I think Percy noticed, he was worried as well.

'What's this "other way"?' he asked. 'The thing Clarisse mentioned?'

I skipped a stone across the lake. 'Something Clarisse scouted out. I helped her a little this spring. But it would be dangerous. Especially for Grover.'

'Goat boy scares me,' Tyson muttered.

Percy looked at him like he was crazy, I couldn't blame him. Why on earth would a Cyclops be scared of a satyr; they eat satyrs, not run from them.

'Why would you be scared of Grover?' Percy asked, stunned.

'Horns and hooves,' Tyson mumbled. 'And goat fur makes my nose itchy.'

We laughed so hard we completely forgot about our conversation about the Labyrinth.

That evening, I spent doing more research. I could tell my cabin mates were getting bored of it, every day I was inside reading books, scrolls and anything I could find on the Labyrinth. But I was desperate to find out more information! If I could just read faster, maybe we could learn how to navigate the Labyrinth.

At about one o'clock I the morning I was so tired I fell asleep in bed with my book.

**A/N: what do you think? I know it's a long chapter, but there is so much to put in. I hope you like it. **


	3. The Labyrinth

**A/N: Sorry it's been such a long time since I updated! I've been on holidays and couldn't use my computer to write my story. Plus the internet kept dropping out today! I'm so sorry! **

**Disclaimer: I unfortunately don't own Percy Jackson. **

Chapter 3- The Labyrinth

Last night I was one of the only people who were still asleep when the sun came up, because an Aethiopian Dragon was creeping around the camp borders. My whole cabin, along with many others, had been awoken by the noise. Luckily Apollo's cabin scared it away by firing arrows at it.

'It's still out there,' Lee cautioned us, during morning announcements at breakfast. 'Twenty arrows in its hide, and we just made it mad. The thing was ten metres long and had bright green eyes. Its eyes –' He shivered. I knew that the Aethiopian Dragon had terrifying eyes from reading about it, but I'd never seen one up close.

'You did well, Lee,' Chiron said, as he patted him on the shoulder. 'Everyone stay alert, but stay calm. This has happened before.'

'Aye,' Quintus said. 'And it will happen again. More and more frequently.'

Quintus was the new sword instructor. He was very skilled, but he seemed quite mysterious. I wanted to know more about him. His name was strange as well, it means five in Greek. But his mortal parent would have named him, so I wondered how they could possibly know anything in Ancient Greek, unless his godly parent told them they wanted that name for him. But 5 isn't a sacred number to any god, so they wouldn't have had any reason to. It's all very strange.

Everyone was muttering amongst themselves. They all knew an attack from Kronos' army was going to happen, but no one was sure when. The campers all seemed to think it would be this summer, and I was pretty sure that if Luke learnt how to navigate the Labyrinth by then, it would be. But if we could beat him to it, then he would have to mount an attack by getting here on foot, and there was no way he could get the upper hand if his army had to make their own way here from San Francisco.

'This is a good reason for new war games,' Quintus announced, excitedly. 'We'll see how you all do with that tonight.'

'Yes...' Chiron said. 'Well, enough announcements. Let us bless this meal and eat.' He held his goblet above his head. 'To the gods!'

I raised my goblet and said the blessing.

Together, my cabin and I walked over to the bronze brazier and tipped some of our food into the fire.

'Athena.' I said. Inside my head I prayed she would help me with the Labyrinth problem and saving the camp.

I sat down at my table and started to eat my food when I noticed Chiron and Grover go over to Percy's table. Grover sat down next to him, and Tyson muttered something and left.

'Well, Percy how did you sleep?' I heard Chiron ask. I scooted closer so I could hear the conversation properly.

'Uh, fine,' Percy said. He sounded a little confused.

'I brought Grover over, because I thought you two might want to, ah, discuss matters,' Chiron said. He must mean Grover going into the Labyrinth. 'Now if you'll excuse me I have some Iris-messages to send. I'll see you later in the day.'

'What's he talking about?' Percy asked Grover. He still didn't know anything about the Labyrinth. I was going to have to tell him before Grover did, because he would get the facts wrong. After all, Clarisse and I are the ones investigating it.

'He wants you to convince me,' muttered Grover.

I decided that because Chiron wasn't here, and Mr D was away, I could break the rules a little. After all, this is important, and I doubt Quintus would punish me. So I got up off my bench, and slid onto Percy's with Grover.

'I'll tell you what it's about,' I said. 'The Labyrinth.'

Percy looked stunned that I was here, and I think everyone else in the hall was as well. People were whispering and looking at us.

'You're not supposed to be here,' he said.

'We need to talk,' I replied firmly.

'But the rules...' he said, looking unsure.

'Look, Grover is in trouble and there is only one way we can figure out to help him. It's the Labyrinth. That's what Clarisse and I have been investigating.'

'You mean the maze where they kept the Minotaur, back in the old days?'

'Exactly,' I said. At least he knew _of_ the Labyrinth.

'So... it's not under the king's palace in Crete anymore,' he presumed. 'The Labyrinth is under some building in America.'

Typical Percy, not having the faintest idea how wrong he was.

I rolled my eyes. 'Under a building? Please, Percy. The Labyrinth is _huge_. It wouldn't fit under a single city, much less a single building.'

'So... is the Labyrinth part of the Underworld?'

'No,' I said, frowning. There was so much we still didn't know. 'Well, there may be passages from the Labyrinth down _into_ the Underworld. I'm not sure. But the Underworld is way, way down. The Labyrinth is right under the surface of the mortal world, kind of like a second skin. It's been growing for thousands of years, lacing its way under Western cities, connecting everything together underground. You can get anywhere through the Labyrinth.'

'If you don't get lost,' Grover murmured. 'And die a horrible death.'

He was so pessimistic. There has to be a way to navigate it; we just have to find it.

'Grover there has to be a way,' I said. Who knew how many times we had had this argument, and still Grover didn't believe me. 'Clarisse lived.'

'Barely!' Grover exclaimed. 'And the other guy – '

'He was driven insane. He didn't die.'

'Oh, joy.' Grover's bottom lip trembled. 'That makes me feel much better.'

'Whoa,' Percy said. 'What's this about Clarisse and a crazy guy?'

I forgot he had no idea about Chris. Well, he didn't really have any idea about anything, because I didn't want to talk to him after what happened in New York. I looked over to Clarisse. She was eyeing us, clearly she knew what we were discussing, but when she noticed me looking, she fixed her eyes back on her breakfast.

'Last year,' I said, in a low voice so no one would hear. 'Clarisse went on a scouting mission for Chiron.'

'I remember,' Percy said. 'It was a secret.'

I nodded. 'It was a secret, because she found Chris Rodriguez.'

'The guy from Hermes cabin? I remembered him from two years ago. We'd eavesdropped on Chris Rodriguez aboard Luke's ship, the _Princess Andromeda. _Chris was one of the half-bloods who'd abandoned camp and joined the Titan army.'

'Yeah,' I said. 'Last summer he just appeared in Phoenix, Arizona, near Clarisse's mum's house.'

'What do you mean, he just appeared?' Percy asked.

'He was wandering around the desert, in fifty degrees, in full Greek armour, babbling about string.' This was proof that Ariadne's string exists. Luke would only go looking for something that is real. He is too smart to do something as stupid as searching for an object that didn't exist.

'String?' Percy said.

'He'd been driven completely insane. Clarisse brought him back to her mum's house so the mortals wouldn't institutionalize him. She tried to nurse him back to health. Chiron came out and interviewed him, but it wasn't much good. The only thing they got out of him: Luke's men have been exploring the Labyrinth.'

'Okay,' Percy said. 'Why were they exploring the Labyrinth?'

That is a good question. There must be a passage close to the camp that Luke wants to be able to get to. But we couldn't find anything so it must be very well hidden.

'We weren't sure,' I said. 'That's why Clarisse went on a scouting expedition. Chiron kept things hushed up because he didn't want anyone panicking. He got me involved because... well, the Labyrinth has always been one of my favourite subjects. The architecture involved –' I drifted off. But the Labyrinth was so perfect, who wasn't amazed by it! 'The builder, Daedalus, was a genius. But the point is that the Labyrinth has entrances everywhere. If Luke could figure out how to navigate it, he could move his army around with incredible speed.'

'Except it's a maze, right?'

'Full of horrible traps,' Grover said nervously. 'Dead ends. Illusions. Psychotic goat-killing monsters.'

'But not if you had Ariadne's string,' I insisted. 'In the old days, Ariadne's string guided Theseus out of the maze. It was a navigation instrument of some kind, invented by Daedalus. And Chris Rodriguez was mumbling about string.'

'So Luke is trying to find Ariadne's string,' Percy said. 'Why? What's he planning?'

I shook my head. We had to learn so much more! And Luke could cause so much harm if he got hold of Ariadne's string. We had no hope of defeating Kronos if he could get from one side of America to the other in such a short time.

'I don't know,' I told Percy. 'I thought maybe he wanted to invade camp through the maze, but that doesn't make any sense. The closest entrances Clarisse found were in Manhattan, which wouldn't help Luke get past our borders. Clarisse explored a little way into the tunnels, but... it was very dangerous. She had some close calls. I researched everything I could find out about Daedalus. I'm afraid it didn't help much. I don't understand exactly what Luke is planning, but I know this: the Labyrinth might be the key to Grover's problem.'

Percy blinked. 'You think Pan is underground?'

'It would explain why he's been impossible to find.'

Grover trembled. 'Satyrs hate going underground. No searcher would ever try going in _that_ place. No flowers. No sunshine. No coffee shops!'

'But,' I said. 'The Labyrinth can lead you almost anywhere. It reads your thoughts. It was designed to fool you, to trick you and kill you; but if you can make the Labyrinth work _for _you –'

'It could lead you to the wild god,' Percy said.

'I can't do it,' said Grover, hugging his stomach. 'Just thinking about it makes me want to throw up my silverware.'

'Grover, it may be your last chance,' I said. 'The council is serious. _One _more week or you learn to tap dance!'

I heard Quintus clear his throat. I guess I had been pushing the rules a little too long.

'We'll talk later,' I said, squeezing Percy's arm in hope that he can get Grover to agree. 'Convince him, will you?'

I headed back to my table and ignored everybody in the room who was staring at me. There were much more important things on my mind than what people thought about me sitting at a table.

I spent the whole day inside my cabin again researching Daedalus. I didn't really find anything knew out, so I wasn't in the best mood when it was time for dinner.

When all the campers had finished their meals we were ordered by Quintus to gear up, ready for battle. Once we were done he stood on the head dining table. 'Right. Gather round,' he told us.

'You will be in teams of two,' Quintus announced. I looked around for Percy; he was the only person I wanted to be partnered with because we worked so well together in battle. 'Which have already been chosen,' he shouted, as everybody started grabbing their friends.

'AWWWWW!' the campers protested.

'Your goal is simple: collect the gold laurels without dying. The wreath is wrapped in a silk package, tied to the back of one of the monsters. There are six monsters. Each has a silk package. Only one holds the laurels. You must find the wreath before the other teams. And of course... You will have to slay the monster to get it.'

This exercise sounded too easy. There was no way we would have to kill a simple monster to win. I bet they are a strange type of monster we haven't encountered before, or they are hard to kill. Either way I wasn't happy about the fact our partners were already chose. What if I got given someone who barely knows how to fight!

'I will now announce your partners,' Quintus said. 'There will be no trading. No switching. No complaining.'

'Aroooof!' The giant dog barked whilst burying her face in some food.

I listened to the pairs Quintus called out. They seemed to be people who knew each other and could work well together.

Finally he got to me. 'Percy Jackson with Annabeth Chase.'

I was very pleased. Maybe Quintus wasn't so bad.

'Nice,' Percy said, grinning at me.

I wasn't going to make a fool of myself, so I didn't act too happy. 'Your armour is crooked,' was all I said, and I went over to fix it.

Suddenly Quintus announced that Grover would be partnered with Tyson.

'What? B-but –' spluttered Grover, jumping and almost hitting another camper.

'No, no,' Tyson sobbed. 'Must be a mistake. Goat boy – '

'No complaining!' Quintus yelled. 'Get with your partner. You have two minutes to prepare!'

Both Grover and Tyson looked straight at Percy with worried expressions. Percy nodded at them, and tried to tell them that it would be okay, but Tyson just sneezed, and Grover was chewing nervously on his wooden club.

'They'll be fine,' I persuade Percy. 'Come on. Let's worry about how we're going to stay alive.'

When the task started, all the campers headed into the woods. It wasn't dark yet, but the trees made it look like it, and the cold wasn't helping our nerves. We found some tracks to follow very soon. They were scurrying marks; the creature seemed to have a lot of legs.

As we were following the trail we hid behind a boulder because we heard twigs snapping close by. From behind the boulder we realised that it was only the Stoll brothers, so once they passed we continued along the trail.

Whilst we were standing on a ledge overlooking a swampy pond, I realised something. 'This is where we stopped looking,' I said. After Nico di Angelo disappeared, Percy, Grover and I searched the forest for him, and this was the spot we stopped. He had run away from camp after finding out that his sister died. I know Percy blames himself for it, but really, it wasn't his fault. He decided not to tell Chiron about it because he didn't want him to know that Nico was a son of Hades. It was six months after, and still we're no closer to finding him than we were then.

'I saw him last night,' Percy said.

I looked at him, confused. How could he have seen Nico last night? 'What do you mean?' I asked.

Percy told me that last night he received an Iris-message from someone unknown, and it showed Nico summoning the dead with the help of a spirit.

'He's summoning the dead?' I said. 'That's not good.'

'The ghost was giving him bad advice,' Percy said. 'Telling him to take revenge.'

'Yeah... spirits are never good advisers. They've got their own agendas. Old grudges. And they resent the living.'

'He's going to come after me. The spirit mentioned a maze.'

I nodded. This was just more reason to go into the Labyrinth. 'That settles it. We _have_ to figure out the Labyrinth.'

'Maybe,' Percy said, sounding uneasy. 'But who sent the Iris-message? If Nico didn't know I was there –'

Suddenly a branch snapped. In the woods around us there were leaves rustling. We could make out a large shape moving in the trees just beyond the ledge we were standing on.

'That's not the Stoll brothers,' I whispered.

We drew our swords together and looked for the monster.

We got to Zeus's Fist (the huge pile of rocks in the west of the woods) and looked around. There was nobody here.

I heard a rustling coming from the right. 'Over there,' I murmured to Percy.

'No, wait,' Percy said. 'Behind us.'

The noises were coming from multiple directions, which was confusing and strange. As we were circling the boulders, a voice behind us said, 'Hi.'

We spun around. It was Juniper, Grover's tree nymph girlfriend.

She yelped when our swords almost hit her. 'Put those down! Dryads don't like sharp blades, okay?'

'Juniper,' I exhaled. 'What are you doing here?'

'I live here.'

'In the boulders?' Percy said, sounding confused. He lowered his sword.

Juniper pointed at the edge of the clearing. 'In the juniper. Duh.'

Percy looked embarrassed. Well, he was kind of dumb sometimes. But other times he was incredibly smart. It's all very amusing.

'Are you guys busy?' asked Juniper.

'Well,' Percy said. 'We're in the middle of a game against a bunch of monsters and we're trying not to die.'

'We're not busy,' I said. 'What's wrong Juniper?' She looked worried, so this must be important.

She sniffed and wiped her eyes with her sleeve. 'It's Grover. He seems so distraught. All year he's been out looking for Pan. And every time he comes back, it's worse. I thought at first, he was seeing another tree.'

'No,' I said. 'I'm sure that's not it.'

Juniper started to cry. 'He had a crush on a blueberry bush once.'

'Juniper,' I said. 'Grover would never even _look _at another tree. He's just stressed about his searcher's licence.'

'He can't go underground!' she complained. 'You can't let him.'

I felt awkward. I mean, Juniper doesn't understand that going into the Labyrinth is the only way Grover won't lose his searcher's licence. 'It might be the only way to help him; if we just knew where to start.'

'Ah,' Juniper said wiping a tear off her cheek. 'About that...'

There was another crunching of leaves behind us, and Juniper shouted, 'Hide!' Then she disappeared into a green mist.

Percy and I turned around and we found ourselves facing an enormous, glossy, amber coloured creature. It was and about three metres long, with sharp pincers, a powerful tail, and a massively long stinger which was about the size of a sword. Tied onto its back was a silky red package.

'One of us gets behind it,' I said. 'Cuts of its tail while the other distracts it in the front.'

'I'll take point,' Percy said. 'You've got the invisibility hat.'

I nodded. This was going to be easy. Percy and I are great fighters, and we work so well together. We know each other's moves, and we know how to kill monsters.

All of a sudden two more scorpion monsters came out of the woods. What! Six monsters in the forest, and three of them attack us. How on earth were we going to be able to win.

'_Three?' _I said. 'That's not possible! The whole woods, and half the monsters come at us?' There was almost no way we could kill three of these monsters. We could manage two maybe, but three?

The monsters came towards us, thrashing their tails and pincers. We were forced up against the nearest boulder.

'Climb?' Percy suggested.

'No time,' I replied. How could we get away! We were trapped.

'Look out! I yelled, as a scorpion lunged at Percy. I deflected the stinger with my blade. Percy stabbed at it, but it had already backed away. The monsters followed us as we scrambled along the rocks. We kept slashing and parrying, but we couldn't keep this up forever.

'In here,' Percy said, indicating to something behind him.

I stabbed at a scorpion and looked to see what he meant. He was pointing at a small hole between the boulders; it looked far too small for us to fit into. '_In there?_ It's too narrow.'

'I'll cover you. Go!'

I ducked around Percy and a scorpion's pincer, and started to squeeze into the small hole. Suddenly I began to fall, so I grabbed at Percy and we were plummeting into a hollow that had just appeared. As soon as we landed the hole above us closed up and we were in total darkness.

Everything was silent except our heavy breathing. The pit we were in was cold and the floor felt like brick.

Percy lifted his blade casting a light luminosity on our surroundings. He looked nervous, and I felt very frightened.

'Wh-where are we?' I asked.

'Safe from the scorpions, anyway,' he said. I could tell he was trying to sound brave, but it wasn't really working. He was as scared as I was.

Percy raised Riptide again showing the place we were in was long.

'It's a long room,' he muttered.

Suddenly it hit me! We weren't in a cave, or a hole in the ground. This was the entrance to the Labyrinth that Luke wanted to get to. If we walked any further, Percy and I may never come out. We had to get out of here.

I grabbed Percy's arm. 'It's not a room. It's a corridor.'

He started to step forward, but I stopped him before we could get lost. 'Don't take another step. We need to find the exit.'

'It's okay,' Percy assured me. 'It's right –'

He looked up at where we had fallen in, and realised that the exit was gone.

I took hold of Percy's hand so we didn't get separated. I would never have done this normally; too embarrassing. But it was good to know he was there.

'Two steps back,' I directed.

Carefully we stepped back towards the wall.

'Okay,' I said. 'Help me examine the walls.'

'What for?'

'The mark of Daedalus.' Again, I forgot how little Percy knew about these things.

'Uh, okay. What kind of –'

My hand touched a small shape on the wall and I shouted, 'Got it!'At my touch, the tiny symbol appeared and glowed blue: Δ, the Ancient Greek Delta.

The roof opened up and I noticed that it was dark outside. A lot darker than it was when we entered the Labyrinth. Metal ladder steps emerged on the wall; they went up to the gap in the roof. In the distance I could hear shouts that sounded like our names.

'Percy! Annabeth!' Tyson was yelling, others were too, but he was the loudest.

Percy and I glanced at each other, worried. Then we climbed out.

Once we got through the hole, we clambered around the rocks and ran into Clarisse and several other campers all carrying torches.

'Where have you two been?' Clarisse demanded. 'We've been looking forever.'

'But we were only gone a few minutes,' Percy said.

Chiron rode up to us, Grover and Tyson not far behind.

'Percy!' Tyson yelled. 'You are okay?'

'We're fine,' he said. 'We fell in a hole.'

Everyone looked at Percy doubtfully before looking at me. Funny how they won't believe Percy, but they will believe me.

'Honest!' Percy insisted. 'There were three scorpions after us, so we ran and hid in the rocks. But we were only gone a minute.'

'You've been missing for almost an hour,' Chiron said. 'The game is over.'

An _hour. _ The labyrinth must mess with time, as well as your head.

'Yeah,' Grover murmured. 'We would've won, but a Cyclops sat on me.'

'Was an accident!' Tyson objected, before sneezing.

Clarisse was looking at me suspiciously. 'A hole?'

I took a deep breath and looked at everyone. 'Chiron... maybe we should talk about this at the Big House.'

Clarisse gasped. 'You found it, didn't you?'

I bit my lip. This was not the right place to be discussing it; anyone could be a spy for Kronos here. 'I – Yeah. Yeah, we did.'

There was whispering coming from the campers; they had no idea what we were talking about. Chiron just raised his hand for silence. 'Tonight is not the right time, and this is not the right place. All of you back to your cabins. Get some sleep. A game well played, but curfew is past!'

Everyone drifted off, away from Zeus's Fist, mumbling complaints and glancing at us suspiciously. I took no notice.

'This explains a lot,' Clarisse said. 'It explains what Luke is after.'

'Wait a second,' Percy said. 'What do you mean? What did we find?'

I turned to look at him. I was so worried about camp, and it was only going to worry Percy to know, but we can't keep it from him forever. 'An entrance to the Labyrinth.' I said. 'An invasion route straight into the heart of the camp.'

**A/N: Again, I'm so sorry it's been such a long time since I updated! I made sure this chapter was really long though, and I'll update again soon. Please review!**


	4. Percy or Luke

**A/N: I got lots of people saying that the length was good in the last chapter, so I'm going to try and make my chapters longer.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson.**

Chapter 4- Percy or Luke

Clarisse, Percy and I were all very upset with Chiron, because he refused to have the meeting about what we should do at that moment. He said we should wait till morning. I don't know how he expected any of us to get any sleep when the camp could be invaded by a horde of vicious monsters at any moment though. All night I lay awake thinking over and over that we have to go into the Labyrinth. It's our only hope.

When dawn finally came I got dressed and headed down to the sword arena, because that was where Chiron had said the meeting would be. I think he should have chosen the Big House instead, because that Hellhound kept munching on things and barking.

When I got there, I found Clarisse, and we went and sat up the front with Chiron and Quintus who were at the weapons rack. Also present was Tyson, Grover, Juniper, Silena, Travis, Connor, Beckendorf, Lee, and Argus the head of security. He only turned up for really important meetings, so it's good if Chiron asked him to be here, it must mean that he thinks the situation is serious.

Clarisse and I led the meeting, and we told all the cabin leaders the situation and what we thought needed to be done.

'Luke must have known about the Labyrinth entrance,' I said. 'He knew everything about camp.' And he did. I know the others hate Luke, but if they knew him before he was deceived then they wouldn't think he was evil, just deceived. I looked over at Percy and he was glaring at the floor, maybe he didn't get much sleep either and was in a bad mood.

Juniper made a coughing noise. 'That's what I was trying to tell you last night. The cave entrance has been there a long time. Luke used to use it.'

'You knew about the Labyrinth entrance, and you didn't say anything?' said Silena, frowning.

Juniper went green. 'I didn't know it was important. Just a cave. I don't like yucky old caves.'

'She has good taste,' Grover said.

'I wouldn't have paid any attention except... well, it was Luke.' She went even greener.

Grover grunted. 'Forget what I said about good taste.'

'Interesting,' Quintus said, whilst polishing his sword. 'And you believe this young man, Luke, would dare use the Labyrinth as an invasion route?'

'Definitely,' Clarisse said. 'If he could get an army of monsters inside Camp Half-Blood, just pop up in the middle of the woods without having to worry about our magical boundaries, we wouldn't stand a chance. He could wipe us out easy. He must've been planning this for months.'

'He's been sending scouts into the maze,' I said. 'We know because... because we found one.' Luke really was under Kronos's spell. He would never have even considered sending people to their deaths when I knew him.

'Chris Rodriguez,' said Chiron. He glanced at Quintus.

'Ah,' Quintus said. 'The one in the... Yes. I understand.'

'The one in the what?' Percy asked. It must be hard on Percy, when everyone knows thing that he doesn't. And this happens a lot for him.

Clarisse glared at Percy. We all knew she liked Chris, it was pretty obvious. But we would never say anything or she'd rip your tongue out. 'The point is, Luke has been looking for a way to navigate the maze. He's searching for Daedalus's workshop.'

'The guy who created the maze,' Percy said.

'Yes,' I said. 'The greatest architect, the greatest inventor of all time. If the legends are true, his workshop is in the centre of the Labyrinth. He's the only one who knew how to navigate the maze perfectly. If Luke managed to find the workshop and convince Daedalus to help him, Luke wouldn't have to fumble around searching for paths, or risk losing his army in the maze's traps. He could navigate anywhere he wanted – quickly and safely. First to Camp Half-Blood to wipe us out. Then... to Olympus.'

Everyone was quiet for quite some time, until finally Beckendorf spoke. 'Back up a sec. Annabeth, you said "convince Daedalus". Isn't Daedalus dead?'

'I would hope so,' said Quintus, grunting. 'He lived, what, three thousand years ago? And, even if he were alive, don't the old stories say he fled from the Labyrinth?'

Chiron fidgeted around, making noises with his hooves. 'That's the problem, my dear Quintus. No one knows. There are rumours... well, there are _many_ disturbing rumours about Daedalus, but one is that he disappeared back into the Labyrinth towards the end of him life. He might still be down there.'

'We need to go in,' I declared. 'We have to find the workshop before Luke does. If Daedalus is alive, we convince him to help us, not Luke. If Ariadne's string still exists, we make sure it never falls into Luke's hands.'

'Wait a second,' Percy said. 'If we're worried about an attack, why not just blow up the entrance? Seal the tunnel?'

Was Percy really this stupid? The Labyrinth is amazing! No simple explosion could destroy and entrance to it, we would need an astronomical blast, and it would end up destroying the camp at the same time. How could he think that would work?

'Great idea!' Grover said. 'I'll get the dynamite!' You could really see why he and Percy were best friends sometimes.

'It's not so easy, stupid,' Clarisse said, angrily. 'We tried that at the entrance we found in Phoenix. It didn't go well.'

I told them it wouldn't work, but they still tried. 'The Labyrinth is magical architecture, Percy,' I said. 'It would take a huge power to seal even one of its entrances. In Phoenix, Clarisse demolished a whole building with a wrecking ball, and the maze entrance just shifted a few metres. The best we can do is prevent Luke from learning to navigate the Labyrinth.'

'We could fight,' Lee said. 'We know where the entrance is now. We can set up a defensive line and wait for them. If an army tries to come through, they'll find us waiting with our bows.'

'We will certainly set up defences,' Chiron consented. 'But I fear Clarisse is right. The magical borders that have kept this camp safe for hundreds of years. If Luke manages to get a large army of monsters into the centre of camp, bypassing our boundaries... we may not have the strength to defeat them.'

This was terrible! Of everybody at camp, Chiron was always the one who kept to the good side of things; the one who said we still stood a chance. But here he was telling us that if Luke gets the string we will most likely be killed. I looked around; I think everyone was feeling the same as me.

'We have to find Daedalus's workshop first,' I maintained. 'Find Ariadne's string and prevent Luke from using it.'

Percy looked at me. 'But if nobody can navigate in there, what chance do we have?'

'I've been studying architecture for years,' I said. 'I know Daedalus's Labyrinth better than anybody.' What was Percy trying to do, stop Chiron allowing a quest! He has to stop finding the worst side in it; I mean it can't be that hard.

'From reading about it,' he said.

'Well, yes.'

'That's not enough.'

'It has to be!'

'It isn't!'

'Are you going to help me or not?'

Percy stopped and looked around. I did too, and I noticed that we were being watched by everyone.

Chiron coughed to get our attention. 'First things first. We need a quest. Someone must enter the Labyrinth, find the workshop of Daedalus and prevent Luke from using the maze to invade this camp.'

I exhaled in relief. Thank goodness Chiron was seeing sense and letting us go on a quest. If he didn't well... it would be terrible.

'We all know who should lead this,' Clarisse said. 'Annabeth.'

I almost screamed! I've wanted my own quest ever since I came to camp. But then it wouldn't be fair to Clarisse if I took it, she and I have both done all the work together. I felt awkward, I didn't want to, but I had to offer Clarisse the chance. It wouldn't be right otherwise.

'You've done as much as I have, Clarisse,' I said. 'You should go, too.'

She shook her head. 'I'm not going back in there.'

Travis laughed – big mistake. 'Don't tell me you're scared. Clarisse, chicken?'

Clarisse got to her feet, trembling. 'You don't understand anything, punk. I'm never going in there again. Never!'

She stalked out, pushing past Quintus who was next to her.

I almost felt sorry for Clarisse; she has been having a very hard time since she found Chris. But then, she has been giving all of us a hard time as well, so we can't exactly pity her.

Travis looked embarrassed. 'I didn't mean to – '

Chiron raised his hand. 'The poor girl has had a difficult year. Now, do we have an agreement that Annabeth should lead the quest?'

Everybody nodded, which made me exceptionally happy, I was finally getting a quest!

'Very well.' Chiron said, turning to me. 'My dear, it's your time to visit the Oracle. Assuming you return to us in one piece, we shall discuss what to do next.'

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

When I reached the top of the staircase, my heart was racing. I had never seen the Oracle before. I wasn't even here when it decided to walk down to the river last year. But I knew it was a grotesque looking mummy from what Percy had told me.

I reached up and pulled the ladder down. When I go to the top the attic was cluttered with things campers had stuffed up here when they didn't want them anymore. I even remember hiding a pink scarf up here once.

I walked to the other side of the room and stood in front of the Oracle. Percy was right, it was very repulsive looking.

I thought about my question, I had to get it just right or else I might get a prophecy that doesn't help.

A minute later I spoke. 'What awaits me on my quest?'

I was trembling now, I didn't want to know what the Oracle was going to say in case it was bad, but I did, in case it was good.

Suddenly green smoke comes out of the mummy's mouth and forms two figures. Percy and Luke.

'_You shall delve in the darkness of an endless maze_,' said Percy.

'_The dead, the traitor and the lost one raise.' s_aid Luke. Not too bad so far.

'_You shall rise or fall by the ghost king's hand,'_ said Percy.I wondered what that could mean.

'_The child of Athena's final stand,'_ said Luke. Okay, not good! I am a child of Athena, and the only one going on the quest.

'_Destroy with a hero's final breath,' _said Percy.Well, that makes no sense.

'_And loose a love to worse than death.'_

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

I stood there for who knows how, long thinking over and over again. Percy. Luke. Percy. Luke. Percy. Luke. Who did it mean!? How could I be in love with one of them and not even know... Well, I had a crush on Luke for a while, but now he was gone; deceived. And Percy... He was my best friend. I'd know if I loved him... wouldn't I? I understood why the Oracle appeared as Percy and Luke now, it was trying to confuse me; to trick and annoy me. But the quest! I had to bring Percy with me, I needed him. And if it turns out it's him I love, then I'll be sentencing him to death! But it's true, you never try to change a prophecy, you can't. But Percy and Luke! One will die, or at least have something terrible happen to them.

After a very, very long time, I slowly emerged from the attic. My head was spinning. Percy or Luke? Which one! I was terrified for them, and it would be my fault if something happened to Percy!

Slowly I walked into the arena and sat down on a bench.

Chiron said something to me, but I didn't hear him. I just started at the floor, but that wasn't helping so I finally look up... at Percy.

I could see he was confused, and worried. I must've looked crazy. After all I was scared, anxious, upset, sad, guilty, and mad all at the same time.

'Well?' Quintus asked.

Finally I looked away from Percy and at Quintus. 'I got the prophecy. I will lead the quest to find Daedalus's workshop.'

Nobody was looking too pleased, I guess they didn't want me to get the fate Percy or Luke had coming...

'What did the prophecy say exactly, my dear?' said Chiron. 'The wording is important.'

I breathed in deeply. 'I, ah... well, it said, _You shall delve in the darkness of an endless maze...'_

Everyone waited for me to continue.

'_The dead, the traitor and the lost one raise.'_

Grover jumped. 'The lost one! That must mean Pan! That's great!'

'With the dead and the traitor,' Percy said. 'Not so great.'

'And?' Chiron said, sounding a little impatient. 'What is the rest?'

'_You shall rise or fall by the ghost king's hand,' _I said._ 'The child of Athena's final stand.' _

I could hear everyone fidgeting; they probably thought I was going to die. Well; I deserve it for what I'm doing to Percy. Or Luke.

'Hey... we shouldn't jump to conclusions,' Silena said. 'Annabeth isn't the only child of Athena, right?'

'But who's this ghost king?' Beckendorf asked.

There was silence.

'Are there any more lines?' Chiron asked. 'The prophecy does not sound complete.'

I hesitated. I wasn't going to tell them about Percy, or Luke. But the other line I could, I suppose. 'I don't remember exactly.'

Chiron raised an eyebrow, clearly he didn't believe me.

'Something about... _Destroy with a hero's final breath.'_ I said.

'And?' Chiron asked.

I stood up. 'Look, the point is, I have to go in. I'll find the workshop and stop Luke.' Or get him killed. 'And... I need help.' I looked at Percy, I was being horrible doing this, but I needed him with me. 'Will you come?'

'I'm in.' He said in less than a second, without a single moment to hesitate. I smiled. Percy was good to me; maybe he is the one... But – no, he couldn't be, or else...

'Grover, you too? The wild god is waiting.'

'I'll pack extra recyclables for snacks!' The line about the lost one had completely cured him of his hatred of the Labyrinth.

'And Tyson,' I said. I know it's not allowed, but I just feel like he has to be there too. 'I'll need you, too.'

'Yay! Blow-things-up time!' Tyson clapped, happily.

'Wait, Annabeth,' Chiron said. 'This goes against the ancient laws. A hero is only allowed two companions.'

'I need them all,' I persisted. 'Chiron, it's important.'

'Annabeth,' Chiron said, nervously. 'Consider well. You would be breaking the ancient laws, and there are always consequences. Last winter, five went on a quest to save Artemis. Only three came back. Think on that. Three is a sacred number. There are three Fates, three Furies, three Olympian sons of Kronos. It is a good strong number that stands against many dangers. Four... this is risky.'

I took a deep breath. Maybe three would only come back... I thought of Percy. 'I know. But we have to. Please.'

Chiron sighed, but didn't look pleased at all. 'Very well. Let us adjourn. The members of the quest must prepare themselves. Tomorrow at dawn, we send you into the Labyrinth.'

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

I went straight back to my cabin. I needed to be alone after the Oracle. But instead of resting, I studied. It helped me anyway. I felt my eyes tear up as I read over maps and scrolls again and again.

'Knock, knock?' a voice called, from behind me.

I jumped in surprise, and turned around to find Percy. 'Oh... hi. Didn't hear you.'

'You okay?'

'Just trying to do some research.' I said. 'Daedalus's Labyrinth is so huge. None of the stories agree about anything. The maps just lead from nowhere to nowhere.'

'We'll figure it out,' he insisted.

'I've wanted to lead a quest since I was seven,' I said.

'You're going to be awesome.'

I looked at him appreciatively. I turned and started to pack away the scrolls and books. 'I'm worried, Percy. Maybe I shouldn't have asked you to do this. Or Tyson and Grover.'

'Hey, we're your friends. We wouldn't miss it.'

'But... ' I stopped. I couldn't tell him the prophecy; not yet.

'What is it? The prophecy?'

'I'm sure it's fine,' I murmured. I was absolutely sure it wasn't fine though.

'What was the last line?'

Percy was so comforting; maybe he really was my love... I needed him after all. I felt so alone, so I did something that surprised even me. I reached out and hugged him.

'Hey, it's... it's okay,' he said, patting my back.

This felt nice, but I could hardly be happy when either Percy or Luke was going to die. 'Chiron might be right,' I muttered. 'I'm breaking the rules. But I don't know what else to do. I need you three. It just feels right.'

'Then don't worry about it. We've had problems before, and we solved them.'

'This is different. I don't want anything to happen to... any of you.'

Suddenly I saw Malcolm at my doorway. He cleared his throat and I glared at him.

'Um, sorry,' he said, blushing. 'Archery practice is starting, Annabeth. Chiron said to come find you.'

Percy stepped away from me. 'We were just looking at maps.' That would have to be one of his dumbest excuses yet.

Malcolm started at him. 'Okay.'

'Tell Chiron I'll be right there,' I said. And Malcolm left quickly.

I rubbed at my eyes. 'You go ahead, Percy. I'd better get ready for archery.'

He nodded. 'Annabeth? About your prophecy. The last line about a hero's last breath – '

'You're wondering which hero? I don't know.'

'No. Something else. I was thinking the last line usually rhymes with the one before it. Was it something about – did it end in the word _death?_'

I started at the scroll on my desk. He was very smart sometimes, I forget that. 'You'd better go, Percy. Get ready for the quest. I'll – I'll see you in the morning.'

He walked out of my cabin looking very confused, I was left staring after him, wondering if I was in love with him or not.

**A/N: I hope you like this chapter, it was really fun to write. Please review!**


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